The Christian Chronicle (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 75, No. 4, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 1, 2018 Page: 10 of 35
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10 THE CHRISTIAN CHRONICLE
APRIL 2018
e
WEBSITE: www.swcc.edu
A
How do you see the legacies
of Martin Luther King Jr. and
Marshall Keeble playing out in
your own life?
I am ever aware of the sacrifices
made — before, during and after the
civil rights movement in America.
Today, the struggle continues.
The legacy of true soldiers is
evidenced by how we remember
them. To honor such men, I must
use, to the best of my abilities, my
What role does Southwestern
play in training young people for
service in the Kingdom?
Southwestern was founded by G.P
Bowser, an intellectual and a gifted
theologian who stressed equality in
life and in educational opportunities.
Because of segregation and racism,
the few schools that admitted black
ministerial students still operated
under a double standard. That often
God-given talents, gifts and graces
to keep inspiring others, lifting
others to work, to serve, to be
world-changers at a time when there
is still an abundance of inequality,
corruption, poverty and injustice.
The 50th anniversary of the loss
of these two men gives one much to
ponder. For me, that half-century is
the bulk of my life here on Earth.
The true test of understanding the
legacy of such great men is to never
forget the debt they are owed for
services rendered to humanity.
What attracted you to the
presidency?
A desire to give back to the
meant entering through back doors,
drinking from different fountains,
being relegated to certain sections
of the classroom. Southwestern
believes in equality and account-
ability to one Master.
Our role is the total person. We
prepare students to serve in church
offices, to understand business and
financial decisions, to administer to
the various communities where they
What relationship to Churches
of Christ will Southwestern have
under your leadership?
The one that it has always enjoyed.
We have not changed anything the
great men before me did, as far as
being here for everyone, and we are
tremendously inclusive.
Remember, Southwestern was
founded because there was a great
need for schools that accepted,
trained and educated blacks. It
would be a tragedy to lose the rich
history at Southwestern — the
last Church of Christ-supported
institution of higher learning
in the country that is consid-
ered and classified as an HBCU
(Historically Black Colleges and
Universities). That’s why it is impor-
tant to have a more open relation-
ship among black, white, Hispanic
— all Churches of Christ, coming
together for the greater good.
What is the greater good for
Southwestern? Sustaining. Our.
Legacy. We do not leave or close or
us access to this incredible, historic
journey.
God’s plan, and I intend to carry it
out as we stay on the move.
In a desegregated higher educa-
tion landscape, is Southwestern
Christian College still relevant?
Absolutely.
Many people, from the outside
looking in, can’t fathom the depth
of culture that a majority of black
people have always taken such pride
in. Our rich heritage and the culture
it produced are part of our DNA
Some may see that as choosing to
be separate or making some kind
of political statement. In fact, a lot
of what we have at Southwestern
is a rich tradition of “my grandfa-
ther went to Southwestern” or “my
parents met at Southwestern.”
There is an intimacy here, not
only because we are small but also
because we strive to be family and
to look out for one another. It is
crucial for young black men and
women to not have to fear that their
culture will be frowned on, misun-
derstood or, sadly, even ridiculed at
schools that do not embrace inclu-
sion and true diversity.
Is there anything else you’d like
to add?
I was on a conference call recently
with officials from the White House.
It was an invitation-only call to
hear from the newly appointed
chairman of the President’s Board
of Advisors on HBCUs. At present,
there are only 103 HBCUs left and
Southwestern is proud to be among
those schools that have survived and
will be located and to take on musical thrived through joys and pains, ups
and praise leadership. And, of course, and downs — all of the struggles that
they train rigorously for the pulpit.
PATRICK SEWELL
Southwestern Christian College President
Ervin D. Seamster Jr. and student
Jasmyne Burnett celebrate the college's
recent grand prize win in the Ford HBCU
Drive2Greatness program. Supporters of
historically black colleges and universities abandon the principles that afforded
cast votes for their favorite school. SWCC
earned a prize valued at $150,000.
make human beings stronger.
But without support — from
donors and corporate partners,
alumni, and the churches that love
us — Southwestern will face an even
amazing institution that nurtured and tougher road ahead. But I believe in
encouraged me as a young man, but
also the urgency to save a unique,
one-of-a-kind academic structure for
future generations.
■ e was only 3 years old when Martin
I Luther King Jr. was assassinated and
Marshall Keeble, pioneering African-
| American minister for Churches of
Christ, died after a long, distinguished career.
Nonetheless, Ervin D. Seamster Jr. has grown
up to serve in the shadow of these great men
and many others — including Jack Evans, who
served for nearly a half-century at the helm of
Southwestern Christian College. In January 2017,
Seamster took on the presidency of the Terrell,
Texas, school, the only historically black college
associated with Churches of Christ.
Seamster, himself a graduate of Southwestern,
earned a Master of Divinity degree from Perkins
School of Theology at Southern Methodist
University and a Doctor of Ministry degree from
United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.
In 1999 he became the first African-American
special assistant to Royce Money, then president
of Abilene Christian University in Texas.
Seamster taught university courses, recruited
talented men and women of color for ACU and
raised money for Christian education.
After serving as a minister at the Marsalis
Avenue Church of Christ in Dallas, he founded
and served as minister for the Light of the World
Church of Christ in southern Dallas county. The
church now has about 450 members.
He is passionate about keeping the doors
open to Southwestern, which has struggled
financially in recent years.
"I believe God can make a way out of no way,"
he told The Christian Chronicle.
'THE LEGACY OF TRUE SOLDIERS' must live on, says new president of Southwestern Christian College
Historically black and crucial to our future
BY LYNN McMILLON I THE CHRISTIAN CHRONICLE
IfWOI r
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Tryggestad, Erik. The Christian Chronicle (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 75, No. 4, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 1, 2018, newspaper, April 1, 2018; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1509388/m1/10/?q=%22~1%22~1&rotate=270: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.